LAS CRUCES - A study of the Louisiana Tech football offense brings about some astounding statistics, results and an analysis to follow.

Such as quarterback Colby Cameron's 20 touchdowns and zero interceptions through seven games of 2012. And the team's 30 rushing touchdowns, despite running a spread-offense.

And, of course, the Bulldogs 56.14-points-per game average, which ranks No. 1 in the country. Last Saturday the team led Idaho 56-21 at halftime, eventually laying off the gas pedal in a 70-28 victory.

The past two games have seen Louisiana Tech score 127 points over a 76-minute span. Their opponent this week, the New Mexico State Aggies, have scored 154 points over the course of their season.

"I thought I was playing the Green Bay Packers this week," NMSU head coach DeWayne Walker quipped when asked about gameplanning for the Bulldogs attack.

Last year, on their way to an 8-5 record and Poinsettia Bowl berth, the Bulldogs had an underrated defense and a solid offense that picked up once Cameron was inserted into the lineup.

This year, while the defense isn't as strong as a season ago, the No. 24-ranked Bulldogs posses a highly-potent offensive attack.

"They got that thing going," Walker said. "They execute, they're not fancy. They don't make mistakes. They pretty much rely on you making mistakes. Not being in your gap, missing tackles, not fitting up pass concepts.

"When you look at their games, their defense, they give up scores.

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But I just think what happens is, when their defense gets stops, their offense scores. You can match scores with them, but as soon as their defense starts getting those stops, that's when they've separated from everybody."

Louisiana Tech, which doesn't necessarily run a deep playbook, is just simply very effective within its gameplan - a no-huddle team that lines up predominantly in the shotgun. Obviously Cameron throws the ball - the team likes to run bubble-screens and hitch routes to its wide receivers in the passing game - and the senior is also adept throwing on the run, either going to his right or left.

They also run the ball very effectively, however, with the zone-read option, where Cameron either hands off to leading rusher Kenneth Dixon or keeps it himself to throw to one of his wide receivers.

And then their "bone" formation - Cameron lined up about in a semi-shotgun behind the line of scrimmage (also known as the pistol formation), flanked by three backs. Here they execute a series of run plays: counter-trap, zone-read and power-sweep.

That, and a talented offensive line will present one of the Aggies chief challenges of the season along the defensive front seven. Louisiana Tech leads the WAC with 1,734 rushing yards and averages 247.7-yards-rushing per game.

"That's the misnomer of this offense. It's their run game. And No. 4 (wide receiver Quintin Patton)," Walker said. "Those other receivers are good players but run game and No. 4, (then) they know how to get the other guys involved."

Across the board, the Bulldogs have the best receiving corps the Aggies have faced this season with Patton as the headliner (59 receptions, 806 yards, 10 touchdowns; a 21-catch game against Texas A&M).

"Patton, he's a senior. He has a lot of experience. A polished receiver," Harris added.

In a typical sense, stopping such an offensive attack all together would appear too tall an order. The Aggies will at least try to slow it down: Get off the field on third down, hold Louisiana Tech to field goals when possible and try to not let the Bulldogs score touchdowns every time they touch the football.

"Either take the ball away, get off the field or force field goals," Walker said. "If we can do that with this style of offense, we've done a helluva job."

Teddy Feinberg can be reached at (575) 541-5455. Follow him on Twitter @TeddyFeinberg

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